Process of making expanded metal.



W. D. FORSYTH. PROCESS OF MAKING EXPANDED METAL.

APPLIGKTIQN FILED 11116.12, 1910.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

WITNESSES i UNITED STATES PATEN T OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. FORSYTH, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALFI'IO LEX-ANDER M. NEEPER, or PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS or MAKING EXPAND D METAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 24, 1911.

Application filed .December 12, 1910. Serialvflo. 596,763.

improvements in processes for making expanded metal adapted to be usedin the construction of buildings, the roofs, walls and partitionsthereof'and for reinforced concrete construction.

ing expanded metal which has longitudinal and meshed members whichconsists in the following: 1st. Slitting a sheet of metal with series oflongitudinal parallel slits made at equal intervals along said sheet,the outside line of slits of each of said series of slits beingcoincident with the edges of the longitudinal members of said sheet.2nd. slitting said sheet with other series of longitudinal parallelslits of substantially the same length as the first mentioned series ofslits, parallel to, intermediate and between said first mentioned seriesof slits, the medial points in said'last mentioned series of slits beingsubstantially equidistant from the medial points of the adjacent slitsof the first mentioned series. 3rd. Transversely cutting said sheetbetween the outside slits of the first mentioned series of slits betweenthe-edges of said lon itudinal members at the medial points 05 saidslits of the first mentioned series. 4th. Corrugating said sheet so thatthe slits of the first mentioned series shall coincide with the bases ofsaid corrugations and the slits of the second mentioned series shallcoincide with the apexes of said corrugations. 5th. Stretching saidsheet laterally so as to form the corrugated meshed members thereof.

Figure 1 represents a sheet of metal with a series of longitudinal slitsmade therein preparatory to forming the longitudinal and meshed membersof my improved expanded metal. Fig.2 shows the slit sheet corrugated sothat the one series of slits will coincide with the bases of thecorrugations and the other series said corrugations. Fig. 3 shows theend view of my improved expanded metal with of slits with the apexes ofthe longitudinal members ribbed and the meshed members corrugated.

Similar figures and letters of reference refer to like parts throughoutthe several In Fig. 1, X is a sheet of metal in which a, b and 0represent the longitudinal members of my improved expanded metal. 1, 1',l, 1', 1, 2. and 2, 2", 2",. 2 represent slits made in said sheet in twoparallel series, S, S. The slits 1, 1, I, l, 1 and t, when the sheet ofmetal X is stretched laterally, form the outside edges of the meshedmembers of my improved expanded metal. My invention consists of aprocess of mak- The slits 2, 2, 2, 2', form the apertures in the meshesof my expanded metal, the slits 1, 1, 1", 1, 1" coinciding with thebases of the corrugations thereof and the slits 2, 2', 2", 2 coincidingwith the apexes of the corrugations thereof. The relations of thelongitudinal members a, b and c and the corrugated meshed members of'myexpanded metal when the sheets are shown in Fig. 2.

The series of slits S S may be formed by rolls having proper cuttersarranged to perforate the sheet to be expanded, with slits in thepositions shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing, said slits being longitudinalat 1, 1', 1", 1', 1 and at 2, 2, 2", 2' and transverse at t. After saidslits have been passed through suitable rolls to perforate the metal thesheet is again passed through another pair of rolls to form thecorrugations therein so that the perforations represented by slits 1, 1,1", 1', 1" shall be at the bases of the corrugations and rationsrepresented by slits 2, 2', 2". 2 shall be at the apexes of saidcorrugations. The sheet may other pair of rolls. one of which isprovided with a tongue and the other with a proper groove so as to formthe longitudinal members a, 7) and 0 into ribs as shown in Fig. 3 at a,I) and 0. After these operations the slitted and ribbed sheet isstretched laterally With the result that my improved expanded metal isformed having longitudinal members and corrugated meshed'members saidmeshed members separating at their ends at the slit t and drawing awayfrom one another at their extremities so that the longitudinal membersof the sheet being operated upon are not materially distorted stretched,are

the perfothen be passed through anor shortened, the shortening of thesheets treated when expanded being taken up in the movements of themeshed members with in themselves, the-ends of said meshed membersapproaching one another as the stretch ing takes place and separatingfrom the ends of adjacent meshed members.

The longitudinal,members are shown in the drawing to be three in number;they may be any number desired within the limits in size of the sheetand the lines of meshed members to be formed, and while the meshedmembers are shown of a given number in the drawing that number may bechanged, being made greater or less as may be desired for any particularuse, All of these variations in form may be made without departure fromthe spirit of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. The process of making an expanded metal having longitudinal memberstrans versely connected by independent disconnected corrugated meshedmembers which consists in slitting a sheet of metal with series oflongitudinal parallel slits made at intervals along said sheet, theoutside line of slits of said series of slits being coincident with theedges of the longitudinal members of said sheet; slitting said sheetwith other series of longitudinal parallel slits of substantially thesame length as the first mentioned series of slits, parallel to,intermediate and between the said first mentioned series of slits, themedial points in said last mentioned series of slits being substantiallyequidistant from the medial points of the ad acent slits of the firstmentioned series; transversely cutting said sheets between the outsideslits of the first mentioned series of slits between the edges of saidlongitudinal members at the medial points of said slits; corrugatingsaid sheet so that the slits of the first mentioned series shallcoincide with the bases of said corrugations and the slits of the secondmentioned series shall coincide with the apexes of said corrugations;then stretching said slitted sheet laterally so as to form the meshedmembers thereof.

2. The process of making an expanded metal having longitudinal memberstransversely connected by independent disconnected corrugated meshedmembers, which consists in slitting a sheet of metal with series oflongitudinal parallel slits made at intervals along said sheet, theoutside lines of slits of said series being coincident with the edges ofthe connected longitudinal members of said expanded metal; slittin saidsheet with other series of longitudina parallel slits of substantiallythe same length as the first mentioned series of slits, parallel to,intermediate and between said first mentioned series of slits, themedial points in said last mentioned series of slits being substantiallyequidistant from the medial points of the adjacent slits of the firstmentioned series; transversely cutting said sheet between the outsideslits of the first mentioned series of slits between the edges of saidlongitudinal members at the medial points of said slits; eorrugatingsaid.

sheet so that the slits of the first mentioned series shall coincidewith the bases of said.

corrugations and the slits of the second mentioned series shall coincidewith the apexes of said corrugations; manipulating the longitudinalmembers so as to form them into ribs; then stretching said slitted sheetlaterally so as to form the meshed members thereof.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM D. FURSYTH. Witnesses:

JAMES F. CALLAHAN, M. E. TnoMAs.

